As the value and use of information continue to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available for such a purpose is the information handling system. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes, thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary with respect to the information handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. Variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Processors, graphics cards, random access memory (RAM), and other components in information handling systems have increased in clock speed, transistor density, and/or power consumption and/or decreased in size, causing the amount of heat per unit area produced by such components during normal operation to increase. The temperatures of these components should be kept within a reasonable range to prevent overheating, instability, malfunction, damage, and shortened component lifespan. Cooling systems (e.g., cooling fans, blowers, and liquids) are used to cool information handling systems and their components.
The operation of cooling fans (e.g., adjustment of rotational speed of cooling fans) in information handling systems can be controlled by a proportional-integral-differential (PID) closed-loop control system. Typical PID closed-loop control is based on a mathematical equation summing proportional (P), integral (I), and differential (D) terms of the variable (e.g., cooling fan speed) being controlled. Performing the calculations for generation of PID control signals can place a greater demand on system resources than running the cooling fans at a constant speed. Thus, traditional PID control implementations can increase the computing power, memory, and power consumption requirements of cooling systems.
Shortcomings mentioned here are only representative and are included simply to highlight that a need exists for improved cooling control systems, particularly for cooling control systems implemented in information handling systems, such as data centers and personal computing devices. Embodiments described herein address certain shortcomings but not necessarily each and every one described here or known in the art. Furthermore, embodiments described herein may present other benefits than, and be used in other applications than, those of the shortcomings described above.